Dassault Aviation does not rule out more Rafales to India

The head of Dassault Aviation said on Tuesday he had not given up hope of selling extra Rafales to India on top of a deal for 36 aircraft being negotiated by the French government.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month announced plans to buy 36 Rafales under a government-to-government contract with France, leaving doubts over the status of earlier plans to buy 126 planes, including 18 to be built in France.

"We'll see how about the second stage and how that evolves once the contract for 36 has been signed," Dassault Chief Executive Eric Trappier said at the rollout of a new business jet.

"I am not disappointed to drop from 126 to 36 planes, because the way I look at it, we are going up from 18 to 36," he told reporters, referring to the aircraft to be assembled at Dassault's own production line at Merignac, southwest France.

"We know that the Indian air force's needs far exceed 36 planes," he added.

India has rowed back from the commitment of the last government to buy 126 Rafales, saying the twin-engined planes - which would be able to fly over the Himalayas with a full weapons payload - would be too expensive.